Lithuania’s prime minister said Monday the government has prepared plans to indefinitely close its border crossings with Belarus after a series of balloon sightings, believed to be linked to cigarette smuggling, repeatedly disrupted flights at the capital’s main airport.
The National Security Commission convened an emergency meeting after air traffic at Vilnius Airport was halted for three consecutive evenings – Friday, Saturday and Sunday – because of suspected contraband balloons drifting from Belarus. The disruptions caused flight cancellations, diversions and delays across multiple routes.
Operations at Kaunas Airport, located farther from the border, were also affected Friday. The incidents followed a similar shutdown early Wednesday and several previous disturbances blamed on the same smuggling tactic.
Lithuania’s two border crossings with Belarus – Medininkai and Salcininkai – were both closed for several hours after each balloon incident. The country’s border guard service decided late Sunday to close the crossings for 24 hours, the BNS news agency reported.
Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said the restrictions will remain in place until Wednesday, when her Cabinet is expected to decide whether to extend the closure indefinitely, according to BNS.
Simonyte said Monday that the government has already drafted a decision to shut the border indefinitely, with exemptions for diplomats and diplomatic mail. Lithuanian and other European Union citizens would still be allowed to enter from Belarus.
Lithuania, a member of the European Union and NATO, lies on the alliance’s eastern flank. It borders Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave as well as Russia-allied Belarus.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who lives in exile in Lithuania, said in written comments to The Associated Press that the balloon incidents were “yet another sign that the regime is using cigarette smuggling as a tool of hybrid aggression against Europe.”
“The closure of border crossings is a logical step to protect security,” she said. “We support Lithuania and its partners in strengthening sanctions against producers, transporters and organizers of cigarette smuggling.”
